Troubled Cairo derby dimmed by crowd ban

12/28/2016

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The crown ban has diminished excitement surrounding clashes featuring Egypt's two biggest clubs.Egyptian fans celebrate before the match between Al-Ahli and Al-Zamalek football clubs in Cairo in May 2006, prior to the crowd ban

Al Ahly and Zamalek have been playing to an empty stadium since 19 Zamalek fans were killed in February 2015 and 72 Al Ahly fans perished three years earlier.

The crown ban has diminished excitement surrounding clashes featuring Egypt's two biggest clubs. Before the devastating violence, the derby would see streets empty of cars and people.

Mohamed el-Kiey, an ardent Al Ahly fan, used to ensure he never missed the derby.

He would go to Cairo Stadium early on match morning along with thousands of fans to cheer his club hours before the teams even arrived.

But nowadays, the 32-year-old must make do with watching the game on television with friends in a cafe near his work.

"Nothing can describe the feeling for football fans as they enter the stadium and hear the chants and join in the cheering," says Kiey, an executive at a multi-national bank in Cairo.

"We are now completely deprived of that," he says.

"I used to get ready for the game days before it took place, and think carefully about which of the club's t-shirts I was going to wear," says Kiey.

"All this has disappeared... it's been robbed of real passion and fun," he added.

On television screens, the players' voices can now be heard in the deserted and silent stadiums.

Security authorities often step in to rearrange the match schedule in Egypt which has been mired in political and security turmoil since the 2011 uprising which toppled former president Hosni Mubarak.

Egypt is also facing an insurgency by Islamists mainly in the north of the Sinai Peninsula since the 2013 military ouster of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, with attacks reaching other parts including Cairo.

The location for Thursday's game, in the modest Petrosport ground on the outskirts of the Egyptian capital, was only confirmed on Sunday.

Nationalistic

Rivalry between Al Ahly and Zamalek has taken on a nationalistic tone since the start of the 20th century, with each club vying to appear more Egyptian after football was introduced during Egypt's occupation by Britain.

Al Ahly enjoys overwhelming popularity in Egypt and the Arab world, with several Arab clubs carrying its name, including one in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah, one in Dubai, and one in Libya's Benghazi.

Zamalek also enjoys its own popularity, especially among African nations.